Shloka 20
The Forest of Material Existence (Saṁsāra-vana) and the Delivering Path of Bharata’s Teachings
स एव पुनर्निद्राजगरगृहीतोऽन्धे तमसि मग्न: शून्यारण्य इव शेते नान्यत्किञ्चन वेद शव इवापविद्ध: ॥ २० ॥
sa eva punar nidrājagara-gṛhīto ’ndhe tamasi magnaḥ śūnyāraṇya iva śete nānyat-kiñcana veda śava ivāpaviddhaḥ.
അവൻ വീണ്ടും നിദ്രാരൂപമായ അജഗരം പിടിച്ചെടുക്കുമ്പോൾ അജ്ഞാനത്തിന്റെ അന്ധകാരത്തിൽ മുങ്ങുന്നു; ശൂന്യവനത്തിൽ എറിഞ്ഞ ശവംപോലെ കിടക്കുന്നു, ഒന്നും അറിയുന്നില്ല।
Material life means being fully absorbed in eating, sleeping, mating and defending. Out of these, sleep is taken very seriously. While asleep, one completely forgets the object of life and what to do. For spiritual realization, one should try to avoid sleep as much as possible. The Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana practically did not sleep at all. Of course, they slept some, for the body requires sleep, but they slept only about two hours, and sometimes not even that. They always engaged in spiritual cultivation. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau. Following in the footsteps of the Gosvāmīs, we should try to reduce sleeping, eating, mating and defending.
FAQs
This verse compares sleep to a python that grips the conditioned soul, plunging him into blind darkness where he becomes unaware of spiritual reality.
He emphasizes how deep tamas makes one spiritually inert—lying helpless, without higher awareness, as if discarded like a dead body.
Reduce tamasic habits and cultivate sāttvika discipline—regulated sleep, mindful living, and bhakti practices (hearing and chanting) to stay spiritually awake.